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THE MAYOR OF Toronto has admitted that he once smoked crack, months after a video allegedly showing him taking the drug surfaced and sparked calls for his resignation.
Mayor Rob Ford, 44, however denied he was an addict, in comments that marked a stunning turnaround following repeated steadfast denials of the explosive drug allegations.
“Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine,” Ford told reporters outside his office. “Am I an addict? No. Have I tried it? Probably in one of my drunken stupors,” he added.
(Mayor Rob Ford says he will not resign after admitting to smoking crack. Pic: PA Images: Aaron Vincent Elkaim)
Ford said he believed the incident happened “about a year ago,” but admitted: “I don’t know exactly.”
“I’ve made mistakes. All I can do now is apologize and move on,” he said. “It is what it is.”
Following his admission, Ford rushed back into his office, without commenting on his political future.
He had until today steadfastly denied the drug allegations, rebuffed calls for his resignation and vowed to run for re-election next year.
The 90-second clip at the center of the scandal has caused an uproar since its existence was first reported in May.
The daily Toronto Star and American gossip website Gawker said they had seen the footage, which reportedly showed a man resembling Ford lolling back in a chair in a room, inhaling from what appeared to be a glass crack pipe.
But after Gawker raised more than $200,000 in an online campaign to buy the video, it said it was told by its unnamed source that the video was “gone.”
Last week, Toronto police chief Bill Blair said technicians had salvaged the deleted video and other data from a hard drive seized in an investigation of the mayor’s longtime friend Alexander Lisi for extortion, related to Lisi’s attempts to recover the video.
“I want everyone in the city to see the tape”
Ford and his lawyer meanwhile have called on police to release the video, but Blair declined, saying it was evidence in a criminal case now before the courts.
“I want everyone in the city to see the tape… I want to see the state I was in,” Ford said Tuesday.
Earlier, Ford’s brother Doug, who is also a Toronto city councillor, called for Blair to step aside over comments he had made last week about the video.
(Pickets outside a studio where Rob Ford was talking on a radio show at the weekend. Pic: Mark Birch/PA Images)
During a press conference last Thursday, Blair confirmed that the mayor appeared in the video and added that he was “disappointed.”
“In my opinion, with the chief’s comments the other day, we have the most political police chief I’ve ever seen. The police chief believes he’s the judge, the jury and the executioner,” Doug Ford told a televised press conference.
“It’s unacceptable, his comments,” he said. “He’s definitely stepped over the line.”
“The chief shouldn’t have come out and made the comments while he was wearing the police chief’s uniform, about his personal opinions about the mayor.”
Blair responded: “I’m not going to respond to any personal attacks. We’re going to continue to do our job.”
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He is only 44?!
That man’s a legend…
Stephen, that’s like 60 in crack years.
It must be mortifying having to blame your crack-smoking on one of your ‘drunken stupors’! He should have blamed the medication he was on instead of sounding even more like a lush!
44 wtf? Looks 64 hands down
See,it’s alcohol,that’s the “gateway drug.”
Is prefer someone that knows what it’s like to be out of their minds, than a I’ve never inhaled Biffo, Michael Martin, Bertie et al.
There are very few drugs I haven’t tried – off hand I’d say heroin is the only one o didn’t try – at least it’s the only one people would know the name of off hand.
Certain drugs, you must know and trust yourself before taking / especially LSD and magic mushrooms, it takes balls to do these things / not stupidity, sometimes at least.
And no, I’m not stoned. Big fingers, small iPhone. Apologies for all the errors, but you get the drift,
“It takes balls to do these things/not stupidity”
Looks like the drugs have already done damage to you.
Thats some seriously flawed logic mate.
Crack addicts are usually skinny as. No way he is an addict.
He is a FF’er with ice on his goolies. Drugs bad, hookers bad, drink bad (but only on ard fheis weekends).
Why? Have drugs “damaged my logic”.
What do you think they’ve done?
Just because he took crack doesn’t make him an addict.
If you want him to look like an addict that matches your stereotype, maybe we can get him to go on a diet to PROVE he’s an addict. Would that do?
@Aireach.
People always fear what they don’t understand (or haven’t tried often).
I stand over my point.
I don’t think he’s a crack addict either, just a blackout drinker who gets up to all sorts unbeknownst to himself. Probably shouldn’t be in public office though!
Sure it’s only a bit of craic
So that’s why he wanted stronger links with Ireland. He heard about all the great crack we had. I deserve every red thumb I get for that.
Crack is a bit more-ish proclaims the Mayor of Crackton, honking on his pipe!
How did the binge drinking, crack smoking blimp get elected in the first place?
This guy is such an embarrasment to the people of the city of toronto. I don’t know why he hasn’t been thrown out of office yet! His policies, his behavior, how does he get away with it??
Brian Cowen anyone ???
Because like me. The man is a hero
He’s not all he’s cracked up to be.
He is a crack smoker, don’t you dare compare him to Brian Cowen, that is just mean. He hasn’t handed over his country to the biggest party donor.
He spouts a load of populist, right wing crap and has a solid 30% support base in the suburbs of Toronto.
30% is all he needs to get elected in a mayoral race with 4 or 5 others on the ballot, even if 70% absolutely despise the man.
A lesson for us if we bring in elected mayors. This fool is an extreme example, but mayors tend to be loud mouth idiots on a soap box.
I like his openness about his ‘drunken stupors’
He’s got to be telling the truth, he’s far too fat to be a crack head
Agree Stephen, makes ye wonder how some1 his size fits into the town hall!!
There’s having a bit of crack and then there’s having a bit of crack.
Seriously though, this guy should have more cop on.
Fianna Fáil have found their new leader
How the hell is it the Police Chief’s fault? Politicians will always seek to blame somebody else.
What a gobsh..e. Young kids listening to that statement probably thinking ah sure it’s ok to try once.
I sincerely doubt any kid is looking at him and saying “I wanna be just like him when I grow up”
I did not inhale, is all he had to say.
“I’m addicted to hot dogs, not crack”
He is not the first mayor caught smoking crack. Marion Barry from Detroit also got caught smoking it. It shows how pervasive the drug is now. Obviously he is unfit for public office, but I do hope he sorts his life out.
Was Barry not mayor of DC? There was a prostitute involved there as well, I think!
Yes, he was mayor of DC.
He was indeed. My mistake.
When he was smoking his drugs he obviously believed he was above the law, and judging by his attitude and arrogance now, he still believes he is. Political correctness was invented for politicians, not only in their language, but in the way they present themselves in public. Piece of shit should be ordered out of office
Look out for a government junket to Canada next week. “Jayses lads he sounds like great craic altogether..”
“Probably in one of my drunken stupors”
Somebody elect that man to the dail quickly.
He’s 44? 7 years older than me and managed to get his body into that state?
Crack cocaine? Nothin else left to try when you’re a disgusting, fat, leech that has nothing better to do with their time i guess.
Gotta love politics, huh?
I was offered some in Chicago by a cop but didn’t partake. There’s enough alcoholics etc in office so feel they are just as entitled to be scapegoated. The bloke is in a bad way though if he’s a little over 3 years older than me :o
He is 3 years older than me too! I guess I better start hitting the bottle and the pipe to catch up by the time I am 44!
It’s our gay gene Alan ;)
Absolutely farcical, a crackhead Mayor.
I agree James Dunne the more I look at him the more he looks like Mayor Quimby
Ah shur he was having great crack I’d say
Maybe that poppy on his jacket has a completely different significance.
This guy must be Irish politican,he won’t resign……..
Looks like he’s more addicted to Burgers. Maybe intravenous Big Macs.
Ford Nation is @#cked.
Well at least he is honost
The USA has a long history of pisshead mayors.
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